An aircraft belonging to the Nigerian Air Force has crashed.
Reports received on Monday unveiled that the aircraft had taken off from Kaduna with its destination set for Minna, the capital of Niger state when the unfortunate event transpired.
The mishap was corroborated by Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, in a statement released on Monday. The statement outlined that the aircraft initiated its flight from Zungeru Primary School en route to Kaduna but tragically met its demise in a village within the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger.
The official statement partly quoted, “A Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission crashed today, August 14, 2023, at about 1:00 pm in Chukuba Village, Niger State.”
It continued, “The aircraft had departed from Zungeru Primary School, en route to Kaduna, but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba Village in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.”
Gabkwet also conveyed that extensive efforts were being undertaken to rescue both the pilots and passengers on board the helicopter at the time of the incident. He further emphasized, “Efforts are currently ongoing to rescue the crew and passengers on board the helicopter, while preliminary investigations have commenced to determine the probable cause of the crash.”
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